Bakestone Recipes

It's not usually made of stone (though some that are do exist). Normally it's a flat, rimless circle of cast iron, with a hoop (often moveable) that allows it to be hung over a fire. On the bakestone, various kinds of cakes, pancakes and "small baking" can be produced. The steady, even conduction of heat through the heavy cast iron produces a very high quality of baking.

Bakestones work as well on a gas or electric stove as they do over a campfire or a cooking hearth. If you're interested in getting a bakestone, you can obtain one from:

Highland Marketing Ltd.
Unit 20
Atlantic Trading Estate
Barry
South Glamorgan
Wales CF6 6RF
UK
phone: (+44)446-744956

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     Title: Welsh Cakes (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads
  Servings:  4

 

      8 oz Plain flour
      1 t  Baking powder
    1/4 t  Mixed spice
      2 oz Butter or margarine
      2 oz Lard
      3 oz Granulated sugar
      2 oz Raisins (or currants)
      1    Egg, beaten
      3 T  Milk

 
  Sift the flour, baking powder and spice into a mizing bowl.  Cut the fat
  into the flour, and rub it to a breadcrumb-like consistency;  then mix in
  the sugar and raisins.  Mix in the egg, and sufficient milk to make a
  stiff dough.  Roll out on a floured board to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut into 3
  inch rounds.  Bake on a hot greased bakestone until golden brown, about 4
  minutes on each side.
  *
  Variation:  "Teisen Dinca" -- Make up the Welsh Cake dough adding 6 oz
  peeled and grated cooking apples before adding the egg.  Mix to a stiff
  dough, adding milk if necessary.  Roll out, cut into rounds and cook on
  the bakestone as for Welsh Cakes.  Serve hot with butter, golden syrup, or
  honey.

 

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     Title: Teisin Lap (plate Cake) (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads
  Servings:  4

 
      8 oz Plain flour
      2 t  Baking powder
    1/2 t  Grated nutmeg
      2 oz Butter
      2 oz Lard
      4 oz Soft brown sugar
      4 oz Mixed dried fruit
      2    Eggs, beaten
    1/4 pt Cream, or buttermilk

 
  Sift the flour, baking powder and nutmeg into a mixing bowl.  Cut the fat
  into the flour and rub it to a breadcrumb-like consistency.  Mix in the
  sugar and dried fruit.  Stir in the eggs, and sufficient cream or
  buttermilk to make a soft dough.  Roll out to 1 inch thick, cut into 2
  1/2-inch rounds.  Cook on a warmed greased bakestone for about 15 minutes
  on each side.
 

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     Title: English Crumpets (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads, Breakfast
  Servings:  4

 
      4 oz All-purpose flour
      4 oz Bread flour
      2 t  Salt
    1/4 oz Fresh yeast
      1 t  Sugar
    1/2 pt Warm milk and water
      1 T  Vegetable oil
    1/2 t  Bicarbonate of soda
    1/4 pt Warm water

 
  Sift the flours and salty into a warm bowl.  Cream the yeast with the
  sugar.  Add the warmed milk and water, then the oil.  Stir into the flour
  to make a batter, and beat vigorously until smooth and elastic.  Cover the
  bowl, put in a warm place and leave it until the mixture rises and the
  surface is full of bubbles (about 1 1/2 hours).  Break it down by beating
  with a wooden spoon.  Cover and leave in a warm place to prove for another
  30 minutes.  -- To cook the crumpets, heat and grease the bakestone
  lightly.  Grease 5 or 6 crumpet rings (3-3 1/2 inches) (or scone cutters)
  and put them on the bakestone to heat.  Cook as many crumpets as possible
  at a time, as the batter will not stay bubbly for long.   -- Put 1/2 inch
  deep of batter into each ring.  Cook gently for 7 - 10 minutes, or until
  the surface sets and is full of tiny bubbles.  Using an oven glove for
  protection, lift off the ring, and if the base of the crumpet is pale
  gold, flip it over and cook for another 3 minutes until the other side is
  just colored.  If the crumpet batter is set but sticks slightly in the
  ring, push it out gently with the back of a wooden spoon.  Wipe, grease
  and heat the rings for each batch of crumpets.  If serving immediately,
  wrap the crumpets in a cloth and keep warm between batches.  Butter
  generously and serve at once.  If reheating, toast the crumpets under the
  grill, cooking the smooth surface first and then the top so that the
  butter will melt into the holes.
 

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     Title: "English" Muffins (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads, Breakfast
  Servings:  4

 
      1 lb All-purpose or bread flour
      1 t  Salt
  1 1/2 T  Dry yeast
      1 t  Sugar
      8 fl Warm milk and water
      2 oz Butter, melted

 
  (Note:  Over here, and in England, these are just called "muffins", and
  are the ones in the song about the Muffin Man who lives in Drury Lane.
  They did actually sell them door-to-door every morning in London until the
  turn of the century or thereabouts.)
  .
  Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and leave in a warm place.  Dissolve
  the yeast and sugar in 1/4 pt of the warm milk and water.  Leave to froth,
  then mix in the fat.  Stir all the liquid into the warm flour and beat
  well until smooth and elastic.  Cover and prove in a warm place for 50
  minutes or until doubled in bulk.  Turn onto a well-floured board and
  knead, working a little more flour if necessary to make the dough easier
  to shape.  Round up the dough, roll into a thick sausage shape and (using
  the sharpest knife you have) slice into 8 to 10 portions, each about 1 1/2
  ~ 1 3/4 inch thick.  Shape each one into a round with straight sides.  Put
  onto a greased baking sheet.  Cover (I use greased plastic wrap) and put
  in a warm place to prove for 30-40 minutes or until springy to the touch.
  Leave room for expansion and be careful not to over-prove, as the muffins
  will get flabby and lose their shape.   Warm and grease the bakestone
  lightly.  Lift the muffins carefully onto the bakestone and cook over very
  moderate heat for 8-10 minutes until pale gold underneath.  Turn and cook
  the other side.  Wrap in a cloth and keep warm if cooking in batches.  To
  serve, insert a knife in the side, pull the top and bottom slightly apart,
  and insert slivers of butter.
  .
  These are strongly recommended.  The taste of them hot off the bakestone,
  griddle or frying pan makes Thomas's look very poor indeed by comparison.

 
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     Title: Pikelets (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads, Breakfast
  Servings:  8
 

      8 oz Plain or unbleached flour
      1 t  Salt
    1/2 oz Fresh yeast*
      1 t  Sugar
      5 fl Warm water
      1 t  Butter
      5 fl Warm milk
      1    Egg, beaten

 
  *Or 1 1/2 t dried yeast.  -- These are similar to crumpets -- they are
  made with a yeast batter, but cooked without rings.  -- Sift the flour and
  salt into a warm bowl.  Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in the warm
  water.  Melt the butter in the warm milk and beat in the egg.  Stir the
  yeast liquid and then the milk mixture into the flour.  Mix into a smooth
  batter and beat well. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2
  hours, until the batter is thick and bubbling.  Warm the bakestone and
  grease with a piece of lard on a fork (use a piece of fat back if you're
  short of lard).  When a drop of water sputters on the bakestone, it's hot
  enough.  Stir the batter, then use a ladle or a jug to pour it onto the
  bakestone in round "puddles|, leaving space in between so that the
  pikelets will be easy to turn.  The yeast batter will not spread as much
  as pancake batter.  Cook over a moderate heat until bubbles break the top
  surface and the underneath is pale gold.  Flip over the pikelets and cook
  the other side until honey-colored.  Keep wach batch warm in a folded
  cloth in a low oven.  Serve with butter, honey or preserves, or for a
  savory dish, with cream cheese or grilled bacon, or little sausages.  To
  reheat, crisp under the grill.

 
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     Title: Potato Cakes (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads, Breakfast, Vegetables
  Servings:  8
 

      1 lb Cooked floury potatoes
      1 t  Salt
      2 oz Butter, softened
      4 T  Self-raising flour
      1    Butter for filling

 
  Potato cakes are eaten with bacon and sausages.  It's easier to make them
  with hot, freshly cooked potatoes.  If using cold potatoes, melt the
  butter before adding it.  Choose a floury type of potato, and boil in
  well-salted water. -- Drain the cooked potatoes well, then return to low
  heat in the same pan:  put a dishcloth over the pan and allow the potatoes
  to dry for 5-10 minutes.  (This is called "drying in their steam" in
  Ireland.)  They should be dry and floury at the end of the process.  Sieve
  or rice into a mixing bowl with the salt.  Beat in the butter.  Work in
  sufficient flour to make a soft dough which is easy to handle.  Turn onto
  a floured board and roll or pat out to 3/4 inch thick.  Cut into rounds
  with a 3-inch scone cutter.  Place on the hot greased bakestone and cook
  over a moderate heat until golden brown underneath.  Turn and cook the
  other side.  Remove from the bakestone, split, butter generously, and
  close again.  Keep warm while cooking the next batch.  Serve hot.   (Re
  "self-raising flour":  in Ireland and the UK, this is flour which comes
  with baking powder/baking soda already included.  For this recipe, about
  1/4-1/2 t of baking powder mixed with a plain all-purpose flour will
  substitute nicely.)
 

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     Title: Apple And Potato Cake (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads, Cakes, Breakfast, Fruits, Vegetables
  Servings:  8
 

  1 1/2 lb Floury potatoes
      3 t  Salt
      2 oz Butter
      4 T  Self-raising flour
      2    Apples, peeled,cored,chopped
      2 T  Granulated sugar
      3 T  Softened butter

 
  The potatoes must be hot and floury, but either eating apples or cooking
  apples can be used. (Best results with a cooking apple, though.) -- Boil
  the peeled potatoes in well-salted water. Drain and cover with a cloth to
  "dry in their steam". Sieve or rice into a warmed mixing bowl, and beat in
  the fat. Work in sufficient flour to make the dough manageable, adding
  salt to taste. Divide the dough in half and roll or pat into 2 rounds of
  equal size just over 1/2 inch thick. Place one round on the warmed
  bakestone and spread with the chopped apple. Cover with the other round of
  dough and pinch the edges together.  -- Bake on the bakestone over a
  moderate heat until brown underneath.  Turn using the broadest spatula you
  have, or two spatulas and a friend.  Cook the other side.  Remove the cake
  to a hot serving dish.  Carefully peel up one side of the top of the cake,
  spread the apples with the softened butter, and sprinkle them with sugar.
  Fold that half down and do the same to the other side.  Sprinkle sugar on
  top, and serve immediately, with thick cool cream.

 
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     Title: Swedish Flatbread (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads, Breakfast
  Servings:  8

 
      8 oz Ground wholemeal flour
      8 oz Rye or barley flour
      1 t  Salt
      8 fl Lukewarm water*

 
  *You may need as much as 12 fl total.  -- Blend the flours together with
  the salt.  Mix in sufficient water to bind together into a dough -- the
  quantity will depend on the types of flour used. -- Beat until dough
  leaves the sides of the bowl, then turn onto a floured board and knead
  thoroughly.  Heat the bakestone over a moderate heat and grease it.
  Divide the dough into four and roll one quarter out into a round as thin
  as possible.  Using a plate about 8 inches wide, trim the edges into a
  neat circle.  Prick all over to prevent the dough bubbling while cooking.
  ~- Transfer to the bakestone and cook over a moderate heat for about 15
  minutes, or until slightly colored.  Then turn and cook the other side.
  Repeat with the rest of the dough, working up the trimmings for re-shaping
  and baking.  -- Cool on a wire tray.  When cold, store in an airtight
  container.  (Danish-butter-cookie containers, the big ones, are good for
  this.)

 

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     Title: Drop Scones (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads, Breakfast, Cakes
  Servings:  8

 
      4 oz Self-raising flour
      2 T  Granulated sugar
      1    Egg, beaten
      5 fl Milk*

 
  *Approximate.  -- Sift the flour into a mizing bowl and mix in the sugar.
  Make a well in the center of the flour and drop in the egg.  Stir in the
  milk gradually and mix to a creamy batter.  The thicker the batter, the
  thicker the pancake will be.  Heat the bakestone and grease lightly.
  Using a large spoon, drop the batter off it in round "puddles" onto the
  bakestone, leaving room for spreading.  Cook over a moderate heat until
  the top surface is covered with bubbles, and when the underside is golden,
  turn and cook the other side.  When golden, lift off the bakestone and
  wrap in a cloth.  Serve as soon as possible with butter, honey and
  preserves.  If any are left until the next day, they can be crisped under
  the grill before serving.  For a change, 1 oz of butter can be rubbed into
  the flour and sugar:  or lemon essence (six drops) can be added to the
  batter.

   

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     Title: Honey And Cream Scones (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads, Breakfast, Cakes
  Servings:  8

 
      6 oz Whole wheat flour
      6 oz Plain flour
      2 t  Bicarbonate of soda
      1 t  Cream of tartar
      1 oz Butter
      5 fl Sour cream
      4 oz Clear honey
      1    Egg
           Milk for glazing

 
  Sift the flour, soda, and cream of tartar into a mixing bowl. Cut the fat
  into the flour and rub it to a breadcrumb consistency. Miz the sour cream
  and honey together until the honey is dissolved. Beat in the egg. Make a
  well in the flour, pour in the liquid and mix to a soft dough. Turn onto a
  floured board and knead in a little extra flour if necessary. Roll out 1/2
  inch thick and cut into rounds with a 2-inch cutter. Lift onto a heated
  and greased bakestone and brush the tops of the scones with a little milk.
   Cook until the underside is golden, then turn and cook the other side.
  Serve hot, split and spread with butter and honey:  or serve cold with
  butter or clotted cream.

 
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     Title: Oatcakes (bakestone Recipes)
Categories: Breads, Breakfast
  Servings:  8

 
      4 oz Medium oatmeal*
    1/2 t  Salt
      1 pn Bicarbonate of soda
      2 T  Melted bacon fat**
      2 fl Hot water***

 
  *Grinding down regular rolled oats slightly in a blender or grinder will
  be a help.  **Or beef dripping.  ***Approximately.  -- Mix the oatmeal,
  salt and soda in a bowl.  Make a well in the center.  Pour in the melted
  fat and add enough water to make a stiff dough which can be squeezed into
  a ball.  Sprinkle the board and your hands with oatmeal and knead the
  mixture until there are no cracks in it.  Flatten the ball and roll it out
  into a round just under 1/4 inch thick.  Invert a plate on top and trim
  off the ragged edges -- these can be added to the next batch of dough to
  be rolled.  Cut the round into quarters, lift them onto a warmed and
  greased bakestone and cook over moderate heat for 20 minutes or until the
  triangles curl at the corners.  Turn and cook the other side for 5
  minutes, or finish under a moderate grill.  Store the oatcakes in an
  airtight tin, and toast under a moderate grill, or in the oven, before
  serving.  -- These are served with honey, marmalade or jam for breakfast,
  or with crowdie (a slightly sweet Highland Scots cottage cheese) for tea.
  They are especially good with fried herring or smoked haddock.  Not to
  mention any kind of caviar you can get your hands on.

 
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